Profile

Credit:
ruth@filmfolk.tv

Born in West London at a time that left him just too young to be a hippie and just a little too old to be a punk, Pat Fish grew up in an era where the Bonzo Dog Band appeared on children’s television, Syd Barrett was on Top of the Pops and the Adult World was represented in shows like The Avengers and The Prisoner. Disappointment was an inevitability.
Fish failed to “get” the glam rock thing (probably too much of an excitable wee football fan) and found that the seventies drove him down some fairly obscure musical paths before punk rock came along to save the day. By then, however, all those mad little songs by Eno, Syd Barrett, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen, John Cale, Peter Blegvad and Tony Moore were already locked up in his head.

Fish started making records under the name of the Jazz Butcher in 1983 and nobody has quite succeeded in putting a stop to this yet. He has recorded for Glass Records, Creation Records, ROIR of New York and Vinyl Japan of Tokyo. Overall he has written and released fifteen albums of original music, three live albums and innumerable singles and compilations.

In 2016 Fire Records issued the album Last of the Gentleman Adventurers, originally released as a fan-funded project in 2012. In 2017 Fire will be undertaking a major re-issue programme, making several Jazz Butcher albums available once again on vinyl, CD and digital formats.

With the Jazz Butcher, Fish has toured worldwide. As a solo artist, recent shows include Hamburg, Dortmund, New York City, Tokyo, Brussels and London, as well as his adopted home town of Northampton where he still regularly turns out with his acoustic guitar to support visiting artists.

He likes collaborations, too. Apart from his lengthy association with Northampton-based digital hooligans Wilson over the years 2001-2009, Fish has recorded and appeared on stage with David J, Spacemen 3, Bristol’s The Blue Aeroplanes, German band M Walking On The Water, French indie art rock band Chelsea Paris and acclaimed Los Angeles shoegazers, The Black Watch.

The thing about Pat Fish is that he is not tribal about music. Some people know him from his friendship with Spacemen 3, others for his fondness for Nikki Sudden and Dave Kusworth; some know him because he has worked with members of Bauhaus, others regard him as a “classic” independent songwriter in the vein of Pete Astor or Dan Treacy. Fishy just fetches his acoustic guitar and his notebook and heads for the railway station.

Do you like your melodies sweet and your humour as black as pitch? Would you take a chance on something simple, intimate and direct from an artist who is on record as saying “What I do is not entertainment” but who regularly induces little bursts of outraged laughter from the audience? Do you want to see the real thing? You should maybe go and see Pat Fish.

Projects

In the early to mid 1990's Pat Fish was exploring what was to be the
vehicle for his compositions after the assumed retiring of the moniker "Jazz Butcher".

An early sample-collage effort, The Black Eg, produced an unlikely
release
on Creation Records and a handful of chaotic absurdist gigs.

Also around this time were the Cambodia
and The Vaguely Familiar
collaborations. Demo tapes from these sessions show Fish's openness to
utilizing sequencers and collaboration with other songwriters.

The Black Eg sequencer-backed approach was made more accessible
in Sumosonic and featured several vocalists and percussion
in traditional pop arrangements. There were three Sumosonic releases,
which were Pat Fish's final releases on Creation Records.

In the early aughts, Pat inadvertently assembled a supergroup - Wilson -
with ex-Sumosonic members and well known Northampton musicians.
Wilson layered guitar-riffs and shouty-pop over solid
sequencing and live percussion. Nearly 100 live shows were played, and a live DVD was
self-released at the end of a decade-long run.

Pat, first of all, thank you for this webpage, I feel like I'm back in time. Which is kind of how I've been feeling for the past couple of days, because the line "what makes your heart sing" surfaced out of nowhere the other day and I had to google it to find out that it was The Jazz Butcher. I put on the album and realized immediately that it was a long-forgotten favourite album that I have somehow not listened to since around 1989. I was actually screaming with excitement and I've been having an incredible time signing and dancing along. And then I come here and find out you've got Wasted Years coming out next week! Legend! Any plans to come to Ireland?

The JAZZ BUTCHER. I absolutely love this band. I put a Jazz Butcher conspiracy album (yes vinyl) a least once a month on my pricey stereo, and have been doing so since 1987. This is what music is supposed to be. I prefer this band over Pink Floyd.
I remember just missing out to see them live and the next day an ex girlfriend of mine phones me, says she got to see the gig and then partied (Victoria B.C.) with the band. She said these Brits were brilliant to talk to. She also said they got sick and tired of her boyfriend and kicked him out.
The originality of this band and the awesome lyrics I have always enjoyed for almost 30 years, and never get tired of it. I'm so glad the albums were recorded and mixed well. When put Distressed gentle folk on the turntable and hear that guitar open up on "Falling in love" I get goosebumps. It's my natural air conditioning on a hot day.
Cheers to the band who stamped the musical soundtrack to my 80's life.

Hi Pat, sort of been a Butcherite since the early 80s still have my vinyl copy of Gift . I think I heard you on Radio 1 possibly Janice long but it was one of those moments when the dj name checked the band and my mental note actually worked. ... But even though I have most of your tunes in my collection never actually made to a gig. I did once interview you for a radio show on Radio Wales and confessed to smashing a copy of compilation of yours I bought in Toronto 86. It was booze fuelled madness and possibly some other stuff going on too and nothing to do with the music . You played a couple of songs down the line. Soul Happy Hour one of them .Anyway I'm going to get off my arse and make the trip to Brighton .